Toy Story
Toy Story is a 1995 American computer-animated adventure comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The feature-film directorial debut of John Lasseter, it was the first feature-length film to be entirely computer-animated, as well as the first feature film from Pixar. The screenplay was written by Joss Whedon, Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen, and Alec Sokolow from a story by Lasseter, Stanton, Pete Docter, and Joe Ranft. The film features music by Randy Newman, and was executive-produced by Steve Jobs and Edwin Catmull. The film features the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Jim Varney, Annie Potts, R. Lee Ermey, John Morris, Laurie Metcalf, and Erik von Detten. Taking place in a world where anthropomorphic toys come to life when humans are not present, its plot focuses on the relationship between an old-fashioned pull-string cowboy doll named Woody and an astronaut action figure, Buzz Lightyear, as they evolve, from rivals competing for the affections of their owner Andy Davis, to friends who work together to be reunited with him after being separated. Following the success of Pixar's 1988 short film Tin Toy, the company was approached by Disney to produce a computer-animated feature film, told from a small toy's perspective. Lasseter, Stanton, and Docter wrote early story treatments, which were rejected by Disney, who wanted the film's tone to be "edgier". After several disastrous story reels, production was halted and the script was rewritten to better reflect the tone and theme Pixar desired: "toys deeply want children to play with them, and ... this desire drives their hopes, fears, and actions". The studio, then consisting of a relatively small number of employees, produced the film under only minor financial constraints. Toy Story was released in theaters on November 22, 1995, and was the highest-grossing film during its opening weekend, eventually earning over $373 million at the worldwide box office. It was positively reviewed by critics and audiences, who praised the technical innovation of the 3D animation, the wit and thematic sophistication and originality of the screenplay and story, Newman's musical score, characters and the voice performances of Hanks and Allen; it is considered by many to be one of the best animated films ever made. The film received three Academy Award nominations, including Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, and Best Original Song, for "You've Got a Friend in Me", as well as winning a Special Achievement Academy Award. In 2005, its first year of eligibility, it was inducted into the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". In addition to home media and theatrical re-releases, Toy Story-inspired material includes: toys, video games, theme park attractions, spin-offs, merchandise, and two sequels — Toy Story 2 (1999) and Toy Story 3 (2010) — both of which also garnered massive commercial success and critical acclaim, with a fourth film, Toy Story 4, scheduled for release in 2019. References External links * Toy Story on IMDb Category:Toy Story Category:1995 films Category:1995 animated films Category:1990s American animated films Category:1990s buddy films Category:1990s comedy films Category:1990s computer-animated films Category:1990s fantasy films Category:2000s 3D films Category:3D re-releases Category:American 3D films Category:American adventure comedy films Category:American buddy films Category:American children's animated adventure films Category:American children's animated comedy films Category:American children's animated fantasy films Category:American computer-animated films Category:American films Category:Animated buddy films Category:Animated comedy films Category:Animated films about friendship Category:Best Animated Feature Annie Award winners Category:Directorial debut films Category:Films scored by Randy Newman Category:Films about toys Category:Films adapted into television programs Category:Films adapted into video games Category:Films directed by John Lasseter Category:Films featuring anthropomorphic characters Category:Films produced by Bonnie Arnold Category:Films using computer-generated imagery Category:Pixar animated films Category:Screenplays by Joel Cohen Category:Screenplays by Pete Docter Category:Screenplays by John Lasseter Category:Screenplays by Joe Ranft Category:Screenplays by Alec Sokolow Category:Screenplays by Andrew Stanton Category:Screenplays by Joss Whedon Category:United States National Film Registry films Category:Walt Disney Pictures films Category:1990s children's animated films